Nanomaterials for High Efficiency Energy for High Efficiency Energy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Nanomaterials Nanomaterials for High Efficiency Energy for High Efficiency Energy Conversion, Energy Storage and Conversion, Energy Storage and Sustainable Energy Processes Sustainable Energy Processes

Alejandro Pérez-Rodríguez IREC: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research

INTRODUCTION

• This Institute will become the Catalan Government’s main reference

body for channelling the promotion of technology research and development in the energy field.

IREC: new research Institute founded under trust of different governmental and private organisations:

• Ministry of Industry
• Ministry of Science & Innovation
• Departments of Economy & Innovation of Catalan Regional

Government

• Universities (Univ. Barcelona, UPC, URV)
• Companies: ENDESA (leading Spanish electrical utility

company), Gas Natural (main Spanish gas energy company), AGBAR (leading water management & distribution company)

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Objectives: Development of energy efficient technologies, with special attention to 4 research lines: and 2 transverse knowledge areas:

• Power Electronics
• Advanced Materials for Energy
• Mater. & Systems for Solar Energy
• Solar Hydrogen & CO2 reduction
• Nanoionics & Fuel cells
• Thermoelectrics
• Systems for Energy storage
• Rational & sustainable use of

Energy for safety & security appl.

• Smart Electricity Grids
• Off-shore Wind Energy
• Biofuels
• CO2 capture & Storage

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Synthesis of nanostructured materials & devices for:

New solar cells for 3rd generation PV technologies (with emphasis on

technologies based on chalcopyrite compounds and nanostructured materials)

Nanoionic based devices with electrolyte and electrodes defining

feasible low temperatures direct and reverse fuel cell for chemical energy storage, CHESS

High zT thermoelectrics based on nanowires and stacked nanolayers Solar H2 and CO2 reduction

Advanced Materials for Energy: Main research lines

Future lines: Nano-materials for electrical, BEES, and thermal, TESS energy storage New systems for high efficient water/energy management.

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Previous activities (2nd generation CIS technology): Development &

• charact. of electrodeposition based processes for low cost high

efficiency CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cells (colab. with IRDEP (Chatou, France))

New Solar cells for 3rd generation PV

Single step ED: nanocrystalline CuInSe2 precursor RTP Sulfurisation: High cryst. quality absorbers

as-grown

0.6 µ µ µ µm Mo 1.6 µ µ µ µm CuInSe2

RTP annealed + etched

1.44 µ µ µ µm CIS 1.15 µ µ µ µm MoS2 0.25 µ µ µ µm Mo

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Control of RTP processes: absorbers with gradual composition (graded Eg layers for efficiency improvement)

• V. Izquierdo-Roca et a1, APL (2009)

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New activities: low cost approaches based on synthesis of Colloidal Nanocrystals

• Easy control of bandgap (IR-UV)
• Allow multiple layers
• New architectures: Graded/Tandem

solar cells

• Easy control of bandgap (IR-UV)
• Allow multiple layers
• New architectures: Graded/Tandem

solar cells

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control of size  and shape

100 nm

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CP alloying: control of Eg between 1 eV (CuInSe2) & 2.6 eV (CuAlSe2). (Use of tellurides: Eg down to 0.5 eV (IR region)) Quantum confinement: further increase of Eg Synthesis of absorbers with complex in-depth band- gap grading (sequential deposition of layers with different composition)

• Integration of nc’s in new tandem structures (higher

risk)

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Metal-assisted electro-less etching through nanostructured Ag catalyst films: low T synthesis of high density of Si NW’s with controlled dimensions and orientation

New activities: Si NW’s solar cells

Application: New Si technology based PV devices: Improvement of absorption of solar light in NW array Implementation of Au nps’: efficiency enhancement through plasmonic resonators

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Si & GaAs NW’s grown by MBE (colab. with EPFL):

Semiconducting NW’s for PV devices:

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SOFC: Efficient, Fuel versatile & clean but costly and requires high temperature

• peration!!

Goal: find ways to lower operating temp. & cost without sacrificing power output Alternative electrolites with controlled thicknesses from few nm: YSZ, Ceria ... Alternative cathode & anode materials Alternative electrolites with controlled thicknesses from few nm: YSZ, Ceria ... Alternative cathode & anode materials

NANOIONICS

Role for Micro and Nano-ionics? Modularity: mW to MW (stacking & scaling up)

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A.Tarancon et al

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Using this Si micromachined platform, we are also investigating on new cathode and anode materials to be applied in this nanoionic stack

• elements. In this, sense, special interest on double perovskites

New materials are possible with high new performances

Tarancon et al Proc SOFC 7 Lucern2006 Tarancon, A., S.J. Skinner, R.J. Chater, F. Hernandez-Ramirez, and J.A. Kilner, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2007. 17(30): p. 3175-3181.

Polyhedral view of orthorhombic perovskite structure of GdBaCo2O5+x: Co ions are coordinated in pyramids (CoO5) and

• ctahedra (CoO6) with oxygen vacancies along (

100), i.e. in the Gd plane Improvement of oxygen transport properties in relation to non-ordered perovskites

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Combustion CVD: Synthesis of high surface electrode materials

Reduced Temp. Deposition No annealing required Extremely high surface area From thin to thick films

• E. Koep et al

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High zT thermoelectrics based on NW’s & stacked nanolayers

Combining doping with surface roughness (metal assisted electroless etching)& twins (MBE) for control of electrical and thermal conductivity

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Solar H2 and CO2 reduction

New modified TiO2 nanostructures

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Synthesis of new materials for the development of innovative technologies

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Design of an electrochemical cell

Materials testing Design photoelectrochemical cell:

• electrodes position
• gas collection and

analysis

• different electrolyte

testing, water + salts, pH variation... RE Ag/AgCl WE Photosensible material, Photoelectrochemic al cell CE Pt spiral O2 H2

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Design of an electrochemical cell

Materials testing Design photoelectrochemical cell:

• electrodes position
• gas collection and

analysis

• different electrolyte

testing, water + salts, pH variation... RE Ag/AgCl WE Photosensible material, Photoelectrochemic al cell CE Pt spiral O2 H2

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• Energy and water (

( ( (in collaboration with AGBAR) ) ) ) Improvement on energy efficiency of water cycle Use of waste from sewage treatment water plants

(bioenergy) and desalinization plants (thermal storage)

Use of renewal energies for water process Water for production of H2

• Nano-materials for electrical, BEES, and thermal, TESS

energy storage

New activities for 2010: